


Give A Little Whistle

by lilacsigil



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Camping, Friendship, Gen, Holding Hands, Shore Leave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 19:14:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12115380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilacsigil/pseuds/lilacsigil
Summary: Hoshi, Malcolm and Travis take shore leave on a low gravity planet, but Hoshi's insecurities still weigh heavily.Set in first season.





	Give A Little Whistle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TwoMenAndAGuava (drakkynfyre47)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drakkynfyre47/gifts).



"I've never had curry in a little cube before," Malcolm said, peering into the pot on the heating disk.

"New experiences every day." Hoshi poked it with her long cooking chopsticks, watching as the cube melted into the chopped vegetables and tofu. 

Travis laughed as he flicked the thermal sleeping bags out from their compression pouches. They rapidly puffed into shape in the low gravity. "I've never heard anyone say that so grimly! Anyway, I've eaten just about every kind of food cube there is, and sweet curry is one of the best."

"It does smell good," Malcolm conceded.

The twilight fell deep blue and the little bat-like lizards in the tall trees above them started to wake up, cackling and shrieking to each other in long bursts of what sounded like invective. 

Hoshi frowned. "Is my recorder on? I know we're technically on shore leave, but I'm trying to catch as much of their vocalisation as possible. The variation in their sounds is fascinating, and in a few thousand years it might be a language."

"You're taking the long view there, Hoshi. And didn't you promise that you were really going to take shore leave this time, not study?" Malcolm took a long, floating step over to check the recorder for her, though. 

Hoshi smirked. "I said I wouldn't study, not that I wouldn't gather material for study."

"She's got you there!" Travis ripped open the rice packets and on exposure to air they heated and plumped up, the packet opening out to form a sturdy bowl. Hoshi served up curry for each of them and for a while the only sounds were contented chewing and the calls of the bat lizards. 

Malcolm was first to finish. "I admit it, this is great curry. Thanks, Hoshi."

"Well, I'm glad you liked it! That lunch you cooked made me nervous! Too much to live up to!" 

Hoshi laughed, but Malcolm took it seriously. 

"You don't have to be so anxious about getting it right, Hoshi. New experiences, remember?"

She sat down beside Malcolm. "You don't have to psychoanalyse me. I know I'm out of my depth on the Enterprise."

"We all are," Travis said, sitting on her other side and taking her hand. "The Enterprise is a brand new idea for Earth. Everyone's new to this, except T'Pol, I guess. She's been on plenty of exploration missions."

"Not with humans, though." After a raised eyebrow from Travis, Malcolm took Hoshi's hand too. 

"You're right, you're both right. But every day I wake up and it feels like one of those nightmares, where you're back in school and you haven't studied and suddenly there's a test and you're going to fail…" 

She was interrupted by one of the little bat lizards landing on Malcolm's head. It chirruped, tilted its head to the side and chirruped again, expectantly.

"Ow, bloody hell, it's clawing me!"

"Don't touch it!" Travis warned him. 

Hoshi agreed. "It's evolved for low gravity and very delicate." 

Malcolm made a sour face instead. 

Hoshi licked her lips and whistled softly, two notes, then repeated them. The bat lizard looked at her, its feet digging into Malcolm's scalp and its bright green tongue tasting the air.

Hoshi whistled again, and the bat lizard leapt away and spiralled up into the twilight. 

Travis grabbed the first aid kit. "You okay, Malcolm?"

"Fine, fine, don't worry. Just get me some antiseptic. Hoshi, what did you do?"

"I think I told it you were dangerous. Or maybe to go home. I'm not entirely sure." She watched it fly back to the towering trees. 

"Whatever you told it, thank you! And Hoshi?"

"Yes?"

"I don't think you need to worry about not knowing what to do. Whatever happens, you'll work it out."

"What about me?" Travis asked. "Do I get a pep talk, too?"

"No! You let it claw the hell out of my magnificent hair! I'd say you can make it up to me, but I bet you can't even make a good cup of tea."

Travis dabbed Malcolm's shallow wounds while Hoshi laughed. "Well, no, but I can make enough terrible tea to keep a whole fleet awake and in action."

"That'll have to do," Hoshi told him, still laughing. "That will do."


End file.
